title: Immediate restoration of fixed partial prostheses supported by one-piece narrow-diameter selective laser sintering implants: a 2-year prospective study in the posterior jaws of 16 patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a new technique that allows implants to be produced by annealing titanium powder microparticles in a focused laser beam, according to a computer-generated model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival and success rate of immediately restored 1-piece narrow-diameter SLS implants, placed in the posterior jaws, after 2 years of functional loading.
  
  
  METHODS
  At the 2-year follow-up examination, several parameters were assessed. Success criteria included absence of pain, suppuration, exudation, implant mobility; distance between the implant shoulder and the first visible bone-to-implant contact <2.0 mm; and absence of prosthetic complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-seven implants were placed in the posterior jaws (14 maxilla, 23 mandible) of 16 patients (9 males, 7 females). The prosthetic restorations comprised 16 immediately restored fixed partial prostheses. No implant failure occurred, resulting in a 100% survival rate. The implant success was 94.6%, and the mean distance between the implant shoulder and the first visible bone-to-implant contact (DIB) was 0.4 ± 0.3 mm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study supports the hypothesis that 1-piece narrow-diameter SLS implants can be used in fixed prosthetic rehabilitations in the posterior regions of both jaws with a predictable positive outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphological and Surgical Science, Dental School, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. francescomangano1@mclink.net
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mangano
authors.forename: Samuele
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pozzi-Taubert
authors.forename: Piero A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zecca
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luongo
authors.forename: Rachel L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sammons
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mangano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000497:Alloys; D003722:Dental Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000601:surgery; D045662:Dental Etching / Q000379:methods*; D015921:Dental Implants; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D057893:Immediate Dental Implant Loading / Q000379:methods*; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery; D008437:Maxilla / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D016348:Osseointegration / Q000502:physiology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013492:Suppuration; D013499:Surface Properties; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D003722:Dental Alloys; D015921:Dental Implants; C031462:titanium alloy (TiAl6V4); D014025:Titanium